5G pre-registrations close to 10 million in China as the country aims to be a leader in new network technology

Chinese mobile users are showing keen demand for next-generation 5G network technology with pre-registrations for the service in the country nearing 10 million despite the small pool of handsets currently available.

As of 10am on Tuesday, about 10 days after the three major Chinese carriers began taking registrations for 5G services, China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator, said more than 5.72 million users had registered for its 5G package, while smaller players China Telecom and China Unicom reported 1.96 million and 1.99 million registrations respectively, according to information on their websites.

All three Chinese carriers have offered incentives to encourage consumers to sign up for 5G services early. China Mobile has offered a 30 per cent discount to users who have been in its network for more than five years, and a 20 per cent discount to those in its network for less than that period.

“The 10 million figure just reflects the number of pre-orders, no official prices have been released for 5G services and users so far have only had to click, not pay anything,” said Wang Xi, a research manager at IDC China. “There are several 5G phones currently available … but so far popularity has not taken off … We think some unique use-cases are needed to stimulate further 5G demand.”

While countries such as South Korea, the US, Australia and the UK launched initial commercial 5G services in the second quarter, Chinese carriers have pinned high hopes on the mass adoption of 5G services in a country with over a billion people and amid a government push behind the new technology, which promises lightning fast wireless connections, reduced latency and massive capacity.